About the Trust

Purpose

Running a health and welfare benefits program is a big — and important — job. It requires experience, expertise and a commitment to good governance. That’s why the Directors Guild of Canada established a separate Health and Welfare Trust on January 1, 2004. It’s the Trustees’ responsibility to operate and administer the DGC Benefits Plan. The Trust itself is governed by a Board of Trustees. Board members include District Council representatives, representatives from the DGC National Executive Board, and the DGC’s Executive Director. The Board of Trustees holds ultimate responsibility for the Trust and the DGC Benefits Plan. In other words, they are responsible for ensuring:

The benefit plan is operated effectively and efficiently;
Member interests are represented and protected;
The plan’s assets are prudently invested and managed; and
Legislative requirements are met.

To help carry out its duties, the Board delegates certain tasks and draws on the expertise of various professionals. For example:

The DGC’s National Office provides the Board with administrative support and oversees day-to-day operations of the plan.
Administration of the plan has been delegated to AGA Benefits Solutions, a full-service group benefits administration firm.
Koskie Minsky LLP, one of Canada’s leading law firms, provides the Board with legal advice.
Eckler Ltd., a leading actuarial and consulting firm, provides the Board with benefit, communication, and asset management expertise.
The assets of the Trust are invested on the Canada Life platform. The platform provides access to a variety of investment strategies managed by institutional-grade investment managers. The Trustees choose the most suitable investment strategies to apply to the Trust portfolio in consultation with asset management experts.

Board members typically gather in person three times a year; however, they meet via conference call throughout the year. In their role as Trustees, Board members have a legal obligation to act in the collective best interests of members.

If you have questions about the operations of the Health and Welfare Trust, contact Marjorie Chu, DGC National Office, at:

Health and Welfare Trustees

Warren Sonoda
DGC President

Wanda Chaffey
2nd Vice President

Grace Gilroy Secretary/Treasurer

Matthew Chipera
British Columbia H&W Trust Representative

Annie Bradley
Ontario Chair

Bethan Mowat

Quebec H&W Trust Representative

Cathie Edgar
Manitoba H&W Trust Representative

Erin French
Newfoundland and Labrador Chair

Hudson Cooley
Alberta Chair

Lowell Dean
Saskatchewan H&W Trust Representative

Sarah MacLeod

Maritimes Regional H&W Trust Representative

Benefits Committee

Hudson Cooley
Trust Chair

Alistair Hepburn
DGC National Executive Director and H&W Trust Corporate Secretary

Marjorie Chu
DGC National Staff

DGC Benefits Staff

Andrea Moore

Anne Arminjon

Jennifer Kiefaber

Jessica Maltez

Simon Au